Tuesday, May 31, 2011

This is a special edition of the Mobile Commerce News Weekly. In this edition I have collected the best market and trend numbers from the past few months and aggregated them into one edition. You can save this edition and use these numbers in your own business plans and presentations.

A report by Juniper Research indicates that the mobile retail market, which was worth $4.1 billion in 2009, will experience average annual growth of about 24 percent during the next four years to reach slightly more than $12 billion in 2014. Read Original Content

According to Berg Insight, by 2015 there will be 900 million people using mobile banking on their phones. Read Original Content

A study from TNT Research shows that over 50 percent of consumers in rapid growth economies want to use mobile phones for greater access to financial services. Read Original Content

Pyramid Research estimates that the number of mobile banking users in Latin America will grow 65 percent between 2010 and 2015, from around 18 million users to over 140 million users. Read Original Content

PayPal expects to process more than $2 billion in mobile payments this year, which is nearly three times the amount it processed in 2010. Read Original Content

In recent years the focus of enterprise mobility has been on device support, UX and the novelty of spinning wheels, swiping screens and supporting various keyboard designs in mobile UIs. I believe the novelty of this will soon wear off with the introduction of more standards, policies, HTML5, etc, and the focus will again turn to developing increasingly valuable mobile applications that are user-specific.

One of the Mobility Experts that I interviewed earlier this year advised that mobile application designers should NOT start from the perspective of what can an ERP extend to the mobile workforce, but rather what can mobile technologies offer the mobile workforce. What does the mobile workforce need, in the field, to more effectively deliver on their mission/assignment?

If the mobile workforce is the center of the universe, rather than the ERP, then there will be different priorities. The mobile workforce may need mobile applications that are not part of the ERP, and are a mash-up of various web services that together provide unique benefit for the mobile worker and the company. Here is a scenario to consider:

A field services technician needs to order parts and have these parts delivered before repairs can be completed on a piece of equipment. What would be useful information for this mobile field service technician?

Which vendor has these parts in stock?What are the prices? How can you get approval to order?

When can the parts be delivered?

How can these parts be purchased?

Is there a customer account number to use?

Do we have a discount plan with the vendor?

Who in the company is certified to install the parts?

Who is available to install the parts when they arrive?

Who will notify the customer when the repair will be complete?

The answers to the above questions would be very useful to the field services technician. There are many scenarios like this that would benefit the mobile workforce, but are often overlooked by those inside the four walls of the enterprise.

In an article that I wrote pre-SAPPHIRENOW 2011, I shared what I hoped to learn at the conference. In this article I share what I did learn. I have included the original list and added what I have since learned.

1. I hope that SAP and Sybase will unveil ambitious, innovative and powerful mobile solutions at Sapphire 2011. What I learned - SAP announced 19 mobile applications, three to be released in June. I understood the three to be EAM (enterprise asset management), CRM Field Services and Retail Execution. The 16 or so later this year will utilize the HTML5 container to be released in SUP 2.1 in September.

2. I want to know how SAP is going to address mobility in the cloud. What I learned - Sybase's 360 business manages over 1.5 billion text messages per day. I also know there is a lot of work with the MNOs (mobile network operators) to run Afaria in the cloud. I think there is more for me to learn here. I think SAP is doing more than I learned about.

3. I want to learn how SAP is going to integrate M2M (machine to machine) wireless communications. What I learned - SAP's CO-CEO Jim Snabe mentioned "sensors" seven times in 24 hours when I was in the room with him. He spoke about "sense and respond" and directly about M2M (machine to machine) kinds of sensors and their role. In a later keynote session with a group of futurists, they communicated that embedded sensors, M2M and wireless chips will be one of the next big revolutions.

4. I want to see if SAP/Sybase have figured out how to simplify their enterprise mobility message and guidance for companies. What I learned - See my mobility photos from Day 1. SAP created a mobility campus with about 10 booths showing specific mobility topics. This was a good move SAP, but where was the booth on how to develop a mobility strategy? I worked with the SAP PCN (premier customer network) round tables to help them think through strategies, but what about all the other companies? I believe the right technology exists today, but there is still so much confusion that companies are hesitant to buy. There is need for more work to be done helping companies determine and develop their mobility strategies.

Monday, May 30, 2011

This is a special edition of the Field Mobility News Weekly. In this edition I have collected the best market and trend numbers from the past few months and aggregated them into one edition. You can save this edition and use these numbers in your own business plans and presentations.

A planned modernization of the U.S. national power grid will cost up to $476 billion over the next 20 years but will provide up to $2 trillion in customer benefits over that time, according to industry experts. Read Original Content

SAP is developing field service mobile applications that are aimed at technicians and other workers who are frequently away from a central location, servicing customers. Read Original Content

Since 1995, Syclo has enabled hundreds of companies in 37 countries and industries supercharge their businesses with mobility. This newsletter is sponsored in part by Syclo. http://www.syclo.com/.

According to a research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in North America was 2.1 million in fourth quarter 2010 and is expected to reach 3.8 million by 2015. Read Original Content

Friday, May 27, 2011

Welcome to the M2M News Weekly, an online newsletter that consists of the most interesting news and articles related to M2M (machine to machine) and embedded mobile devices. I aggregate the information, include the original links and add a synopsis of each article. I also search for the latest market numbers such as market size, growth and trends in and around the M2M market.

Machina Research estimates that the number of global M2M connections in the utilities industry will grow from 100 million in 2010 to 1.5 billion in 2020. Read Original Content

According to Juniper Research, M2M will generate more than $35 billion in revenue by 2016. Read Original Content

The global patient monitoring market will reach $9.3 billion by 2014, concludes strategic research firm Technavio in its latest report. Read Original Content

A research report by Reportlinker argues that the number of M2M connections in the utilities industry will grow from 100 million in 2010 to 1.5 billion in 2020, of which 99 percent will be smart meters. Read Original Content

A planned modernization of the U.S. national power grid will cost up to $476 billion over the next 20 years but will provide up to 2 trillion in customer benefits over that time, according to industry experts. Read Original Content

Thursday, May 26, 2011

The Mobility News Weekly is an online newsletter made up of the most interesting news and articles related to enterprise mobility that I run across each week. I am specifically targeting information that reflects market data and trends.

In Apple’s App Store, the mobile marketplace for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, has unofficially passed the 500,000 approved apps mark, reaching the figure within three years from when the platform launched. Read Original Content

Specialists can determine how to treat strokes based on brain-scan images reviewed from their smartphones with nearly the same accuracy as using a full diagnostic workstation, according to a study by researchers at the University of Calgary. Read Original Content

Nokia's share of the smartphone market has fallen by a third, while Microsoft's has nearly halved, according to research firm Gartner. Read Original Content

U.K. based media firm Screen Digest states the mobile gaming market has grown from $2.2 billion in 2007 to $3.7 billion in 2010, with estimates putting growth at around a staggering $7.8 billion by 2014. "Since Apple launched its App Store, the mobile gaming market has undergone a transformation," explained Screen Digest analyst Jack Kent. Read Original Content

Led by the iPad, the tablet market has taken off with a bang, but even with all the hoopla, less than 5 percent of U.S. consumers polled by Nielsen actually own one. Read Original Content

Gartner’s latest report on mobile sales must make for pretty gloomy reading in Redmond, Washington. According to the research company, Microsoft sold only 1.6 million phones in 2011 first quarter. Read Original Content

Africa is the world's fastest growing telecoms market, and mobile phones have transformed the lives of Africans everywhere. Read Original Content

A month after the launch of Research In Motion Ltd.'s PlayBook tablet, AT&T Inc. still has not approved the Bridge software needed to connect the device to the BlackBerry smartphone, while Verizon Wireless is still deciding whether it will sell the device at all. Read Original Content

ClickSoftware is an SAP mobility partner and the leading provider of automated workforce management and optimization solutions for every size of service business. This newsletter is sponsored in part by ClickSoftware - http://www.clicksoftware.com/.

Google went live with its latest Maps update, which offers a significantly more feature-rich browser experience than before. In fact, once you opt in to share your location, the site feels very much like an app or like the desktop version. Read Original Content

New numbers from Gartner reveal that Nokia’s current market share is the lowest it has been since 1997, nearly 14 years ago. Read Original Content

U.S. lawmakers, considering legislation aimed at protecting consumers’ online privacy, said the market for smartphone applications needs to be regulated to prevent the inappropriate sharing of user data. Read Original Content

Pizza Hut claims that its ordering app for the iPhone, which was introduced in 2009, has been downloaded 3 million times. The company’s further expansion into mobile comes as it is looking to build on that success and give customers even more ways to order. Read Original Content

Gartner lowered its 2011 cellphone market view by 10-15 million phones as retailers stocked up after the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March, hitting the supply chains in the electronics and car industries. Read Original Content

Google Inc. is teaming up with MasterCard Inc. and Citigroup Inc. to embed technology in Android mobile devices that would allow consumers to make purchases by waving their smartphones in front of a small reader at the checkout counter. Read Original Content

As of right now, there are an estimated 1.5 million to 2 million iPhone 4s left out there, sitting on retailer and carrier shelves, waiting for a new owner like a puppy in a window. Read Original Content

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

In April, I recorded a video and wrote an article sharing what I wanted to learn at SAPPHIRENOW 2011. In an upcoming article I will address those items, but in the mean time, here are my notes from the conference.

John Chen, CEO of Sybase said, "We expect to build only 10% of mobility apps, the ecosystem the rest."

John Chen CEO of Sybase said, "We have 2,000 mobile deals in the pipeline."

Marty Beard said that the Sybase 365 business grew over 100% last year. This is the SMS solution that Sybase has. It supports 1.5 billion text messages per day now.

SAP announced 19 new mobile apps.

Sybase announced SUP 2.0 with SDK

SAP announced mobility partnership with Accenture.

SAP will release three mobile applications in the June 2011 time frame, the rest in the September time frame.

SAP will release SUP 2.1 in the September 2011 time frame and this will support the HTML5 container.

Two of the first SAP mobile applications will be CRM Services and Retail Execution for CPG companies. SAP's Nick Brown talks about them here.

Jim Snabe announced an SAP Mobility Application store.

SAP announced a new iPad application that provides a 360 degree view of a customer including; customer details, invoices, payments, deals, status etc.

I personally hear SAP's Co-CEO Jim Snabe mention sensors 7 times in 24 hours. He used an oft repeated phrase at SAPPHIRENOW 2011, "sense and respond." In several cases he was definitely referred to M2M (machine to machine) communications and embedded wireless sensors.

SAP's 2011/2012 strategy seems to be to focus on1)In-memory for speed, 2) extend the reach of business via mobile, 3) people collaboration with social media.

I heard from the stage that SAP Co-CEOs manage SAP on iPads.

The "Integrated Enterprise" is a big focus this year at SAPPHIRENOW 2011. You must be integrated to be real-time. Mobility plays a big role in this.

Terabytes worth of customer data is collected but never analyzed. Important patterns never get discovered and insights are not shared.

Co-CEO Bill McDermott chooses to open his keynote talking about mobile retailing and mobile marketing applications shopping and comparing prices on smartphones.

The panel of futurist at SAPPHIRENOW 2011 share my opinion expressed here regularly that embedded sensors, M2M and wireless chips will be one of the next big revolutions.

Theme among futurist on the panel is that the computerization of healthcare will be revolutionary and change everything about healthcare.

SAP keynote focused so far on real time analytics and mobility. The power of in-memory computing extended to mobile devices.

Opening day keynote focused on real time analytics and mobility. The power of in-memory computing extended to mobile devices.

I attended the opening day breakfast meeting arranged by SAP's PCN (premier customer network) and the discussion was dominated by enterprise mobility topics.

I worked with SAP's largest customers at the PCN mobility round table during 4 round table sessions. Security is still their biggest mobility issue. I was surprised that these large companies did not know more about Sybase's Afaria. In most cases, I know Afaria could satisfy all of their security requirements, but they were not aware of it. Here is your assignment Sybase and SAP!!!

Mobile strategy and mobile security seemed to be the two key points needed by the companies I spent time with at SAPPHIRENOW 2011.

I was surprised by how many big companies still have not started on enterprise mobility. They all seemed to be feeling the pressure to deliver mobile applications, but many had yet to start.

Part 2 of this article will be my responses to the items I wanted to learn about, listed here, that I posed in advance of SAPPHIRENOW 2011.

The Mobile Marketing News Weekly is an online newsletter that is made up of the most interesting news, articles and links related to mobile marketing that I run across each week. I am specifically targeting market size and market trend information.

Research by InMobi shows that within the past three months mobile advertising has grown by 17 percent. Read Original Content

According to research by E-tailing group, in 2010 more shopping was done through tablets than smartphones. Read Original Content

The global mobile marketing and advertising market is estimated to grow from 2.25 billion in 2009 to 17.9 billion in 2015, a 41 percent growth rate, according to research from Berg Insight. Read Original Content

Studies have shown that people are slowly switching from personal computers to smartphones as they surf the Internet. By 2015 worldwide shopping through mobile phones will exceed $120 billion, representing about 8 percent of the mobile market. Read Original Content

A recent study shows that an increasing number of mobile-device users are taking advantage of location-based check-in services. One in five smartphone users currently use location-based services on their phones, representing 16.7 million U.S. mobile subscribers. Read Original Content

Best Buy has expanded its use of location-based coupons and is rewarding customers who use their smartphones while shopping. Read Original Content

EBay now has an iPhone app that allows customers to shop for cars and auto parts from their devices. Read Original Content

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

This morning in New York City, I spent time with a Manager of Service Delivery for a global security and alarm company. He shared some of the challenges he faces around mobilizing his field services teams.

Operations in 40 countries

40 different ERP instances from many different vendors

Need to replace a 22 year old mobile system

Old mainframe systems in many regions

Desire to integrate mobile time sheets with all the various backend systems and regional laws.

Questionable data quality

Workforce reluctant to learn new technologies

Sometimes the biggest challenges to mobility, really have little to do with enterprise mobility. This company is developing their mobility strategy now, looking at mobility platforms and conducting small POCs with a plan to implement in a couple of years.

VIP is a systems integrator that I met at SAPPHIRENOW 2011 that has recently added a mobility focus. Learn about their mobility strategy and how they are approaching the market in this short video interview.

Myself and fellow SAP Mentor John Appleby interview SAP's Nick Brown on SAP's enterprise mobility strategies, timelines and products. The audio on this video is rather poor, but the content is great, so crank up the volume and put on the headset. I have even experimented with adding captions.

The Mobile Retailing News Weekly is an online newsletter that is made up of the most interesting news, articles and links related to mobile retailing applications and mobile marketing applications that I run across each week. I am specifically targeting market size and market trend information.

A study from TNT Research shows that over 50 percent of consumers in rapid growth economies want to use mobile phones for greater access to financial services. Read Original Content

According to a new survey by MasterCard Worldwide, 62 percent of Americans who use a mobile phone would be open to using their device to make purchases. Read Original Content

Advancements in technology are set to change the way customers pay for things, and telecommunication companies and financial institutions are readying themselves for the mobile payment revolution. Read Original Content

Americans are ready and waiting for mobile payment systems, reveals a new survey from MasterCard, with almost two-thirds open to using their mobile device to make payments. Read Original Content

VeriFone and software developer Micros Systems have developed a program that will allow NFC enabled phones to pay for meals at restaurants with participating NFC capability. Read Original Content

Dave Ploch is the Director of New Technologies with Novus International. He is right in the middle of an SAP implementation of ERP, and an SAP mobility implementation. I interviewed him about his strategies and experiences in this short video taken at SAPPHIRENOW 2011.

Monday, May 23, 2011

The Field Mobility News Weekly is an online newsletter made up of the most interesting news and articles related to field and medical mobility that I run across each week. I am specifically targeting information that reflects market data and trends.

SAP is developing field service mobile applications that are aimed at technicians and other workers who are frequently away from a central location, servicing customers. Read Original Content

Rugged tablets and RFID technology are combing to help streamline the food and vegetable shipment process and to help quicken the rate of delivery from grower to consumer. Read Original Content

To avoid accidentally cutting water mains and for routine maintenance on water pipes, a French company is using RFID technology. Read Original Content

RFID technology is being used in the TELUS Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race. It will be used to track sailboats along their two week race around Vancouver Island. Read Original Content

Healthcare mobility has become increasingly popular in the past few years as hospitals find new uses for iPads and other devices. Lately the security of these tools being used by physicians has been questioned. Read Original Content

Since 1995, Syclo has enabled hundreds of companies in 37 countries and industries supercharge their businesses with mobility. This newsletter is sponsored in part by Syclo. http://www.syclo.com/.

Alaska Airlines and Boeing are currently working on an RFID route that will allow airlines to better track airplane parts and components. Read Original Content

ClickSoftware Technologies Ltd. announced that the UK's largest water and wastewater services company, Thames Water, has selected the ClickSoftware Service Optimization Suite. Read Original Content

Trimble has been awarded a Blanket Purchase Agreement by the U.S. General Services Administration Federal Acquisition Service for its fleet management solution. Read Original Content

According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in North America was 2.1 million in fourth quarter 2010 and is expected to reach 3.8 million by 2015. Read Original Content

Friday, May 20, 2011

Welcome to Kevin's M2M News Weekly, an online newsletter that consists of the most interesting news and articles related to M2M (machine to machine) and embedded mobile devices. I aggregate the information, include the original links and add a synopsis of each article. I also search for the latest market numbers such as market size, growth and trends in and around the M2M market.

Juniper Research reports that the M2M market will see revenues of over $35 billion by 2016. Read Original Content

Sprint continues to lead in M2M programs and is showing increased competitiveness in that industry. Read Original Content

By 2020 there will be 1.5 billion M2M connections in the utilities business, the majority coming from smart meters. Read Original Content

The U.S. market for smart grid technologies is expected to increase to $37.4 billion in 2014, for an annual growth rate of over 16 percent. Read Original Content

Hundreds of buildings in Dubai are using M2M services from Pacific Control System to save energy while cooling buildings. Read Original Content

With the help of smart meters the M2M market will account for approximately 24 billion Euros in revenue by 2020. Read Original Content

According to Berg Insight, the number of fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in North America is expected to reach 3.8 million by 2015. Read Original Content

ClickSoftware is an SAP mobility partner and the leading provider of automated workforce management and optimization solutions for every size of service business. This newsletter is sponsored in part by ClickSoftware.

Deutsche Telekom and M2M specialist Gemalto have announced that their M2M solution is being embedded by German auto manufacturer BMW as part of the European Commission’s eCall initiative, designed to enable rapid response assistance for people in road accidents. Read Original Content

Lately there has been a move to equip vending machines with M2M capability to allow customers to use their debit and credit cards while making purchases. Read Original Content

Hospitals are using M2M technology to allow their patients to personally monitor their health status and feed data back to hospitals. Read Original Content

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The Mobility News Weekly is an online newsletter made up of the most interesting news and articles related to enterprise mobility that I run across each week. I am specifically targeting information that reflects market data and trends.

SAP introduced the 2.0 version of the Sybase Unwired mobile platform, newly integrated with SAP application infrastructure and complemented by a software development kit for custom mobile app development. SAP announced 19 new SAP and Sybase mobility applications, set to debut in September. Read Original Article

Syclo, a leading provider of enterprise mobile solutions, has announced that its mobile applications in support of the SAP® ERP and SAP Customer Relationship Management applications are scheduled to run on the Sybase® Unwired Platform in the third quarter of 2011. Read Original Article

ClickSoftware announced that the U.K.'s largest water and wastewater services company, Thames Water, has selected the ClickSoftware ServiceOptimization Suite to ensure significant improvements in the efficient use of its workforce, its assets and the quality of service that it provides to its customers through optimized scheduling of its 2,000-strong field force and contractors. Read Original Article

Google has begun fixing a security flaw that affects some 97 percent of Android smartphones. The fix, which addresses a hole allowing hackers to access the contacts, calendars and photos on an Android phone connected to an open Wi-Fi network, will take a few days to cover every phone, a Google spokesman said. Read Original Article

Executives from the biggest brands in mobile computing were called to Capitol Hill Tuesday to clear up concerns that they have tracked and stored data about their customers' whereabouts, in some cases without their permission. Read Original Article

According to Gartner's latest numbers, Microsoft sold only 1.6 million Windows Phone 7 devices during the first quarter of the year, leaving it just ahead of HP's anemic webOS numbers (categorized by Gartner as "other"), but behind every other major platform. Read Original Article

Worldwide mobile communication device sales to end users totaled 427.8 million units in the first quarter of 2011, an increase of 19 percent from the first quarter of 2010, according to Gartner, Inc. Read Original Article

One-third of Americans use a smartphone app before getting out of bed in the morning. While cellphones have long doubled as alarm clocks for many owners, a new survey out from Ericsson ConsumerLab found that 35 percent of smartphone owners in the U.S. open up a non-voice application before removing the covers. Read Original Article

WIS Publishing has announced that its free SAPinsider app for iPad and iPhone is available for download in the Apple App Store, it allows mobile subscribers to read, search, and browse the full content of SAPinsider magazine with free, unlimited access. Read Original Article

Expanding their long-term partnership with a joint base of thousands of customers, SAP and Microsoft Corp have announced plans to improve integration between SAP software and Microsoft virtualization and cloud computing technologies. Read Original Article

Sprint Nextel Corp. CEO Dan Hesse has told members of Congress that the firm might have to sell itself if AT&T purchases T-Mobile USA, as Sprint would find itself too far behind the two dominant U.S. wireless providers, AT&T and Verizon Wireless, which between them would control nearly 80 percent market share in the U.S. mobile market, while Sprint operates with 17 percent share. Read Original Article

ClickSoftware is an SAP mobility partner and the leading provider of automated workforce management and optimization solutions for every size of service business. This newsletter is sponsored in part by ClickSoftware - http://www.clicksoftware.com/.

When Dr. Jose Soler got a late night call about a critically ill patient, he grabbed his iPad and checked the results of the electrocardiogram test that just had been administered. Thanks to an app that zooms within half a millimeter of every heartbeat rhythm variation, Soler made a diagnosis within two minutes. Read Original Article

SAP AG, the largest maker of business management software, predicts mobile products, services and real-time analytics technology will generate about a quarter of its projected 20 billion-euro ($28.5 billion) in sales by 2015. Read Original Article

Apple, RIM and HTC are dominating the smartphone market, owning 75 percent of the smartphone profits in first quarter 2011. Apple proves to be the most profitable smartphone brand so far, owning 55 percent of that portion. Read Original Article

International research firm Parks Associates forecasts over 2 billion people worldwide will own at least one smartphone by 2015, with unit sales growing over 175 percent from 2010. Read Original Article

According to the latest market research from ComScore, 16.7 million U.S. mobile subscribers used location-based "check-in" services such as Facebook Places, Foursquare or Gowalla on their phones in March 2011, representing 7.1 percent of the entire mobile population. Read Original Article

The number of malware that aim the Android mobile operating system has gone up by 400 percent since summer of last year, according to a report by Juniper Networks. Read Original Article